Inclemency in Sedra, a Halo Flood Story
by MontyTheMemeMan
Summary: The Brigadier Hammerfist is tasked with infiltrating an Insurrectionist compound located on the colony Sedra and securing the HVT known as Avoin Simitochon, an ex Spartan IV gone AWOL. However, something far more sinister lies beneath in the laboratories of Sedra.
1. A Resistance to Quell, Ch1

**[This was a story i wrote a year ago. Figured it'd be good to revise it a little and release the product to the public]**

**[Enjoy]**

**[This is made with a few original characters I, and a couple friends made back when. Vas-110 is not mine]**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Halo or any of its characters**

February 17th, 2559  
Above the colony of Sedra.  
Brigadier Hammerfist

0000

Captain Fordwell and Sergeant Second Class Schwarzenbach stood in front of a series of allied UNSC forces. A single Spartan-II, two Spartan-III's, five Spartan-IV's, and several dozen ODST's outfitted with combat gear. The Spartan-IV team, known as Fireteam Catch, was present for any inclement conditions that may come with this operation. Chantara-116, the single Spartan-II stood in front, with her two supporting Spartan-III's; Maddock G-193 and Sarsykian G-273.

Their mission, as Captain Fordwell began to explain; "We've all seen the previous four briefs, here's the fifth. We're to be dropping into this Insurrectionist cell deep within Sedran's forest, fifty six miles away from the Capital. Here, Insurrectionist leader and researcher, Avoin Simitochan has been performing unknown operations here. The local Sedran farmers say they rarely hear anything. Our satellite drones only pick up a relatively small compound on the surface, but seismic scans from inserted recon drones pick up an incredibly large underground complex. Our mission is to insert and capture Avoin Simitochon. Our secondary objective is to secure any research, apprehend any persons, and collect any items they may have of our interest."

Fordwell took a deep breath before continuing; "We know that as of right now, they are conducting some sort of drill, as we have several thermal signatures emerging from the compound to the surface. Now is our time to strike. Assemble all weaponry, all teams, and prepare to launch. I understand you've all discussed your drop locations. Dismiss."

* * *

Chantara-116, Maddock G-193, and Sarsykian G-273 were deployed to an outer rim sector of the Galaxy, shadowed by Spartan-IV Siegmund and a squad of eight ODST's, waiting at the ready.

Dropping from orbital pods, the trio were deployed as shock tactic while small, silent squads of ODST's and stealth-oriented Spartan-IV's wiped out the surrounding guards.

0100

The three drop pods jettisoned from orbit, splitting the atmosphere it dropped through, penetrating the clouds and soaring down to the dirt.

"S-116, Check."

"G-193, Check."

"G-273, Check."

0105

The pods crashed into the ground, to the surprise of several dozen resistance fighting, rebels to the UNSC cause. The UNSC has its way of crushing anyone who isn't with them, no matter their intent for separation.

The few dozen immediately scrambled to cover, calling in the objects that had fallen from the sky.

Very soon, they had the pods surrounded with over 3 dozen men, rifles and various other weapons raised in preparation of whatever was to come from the pods.

Heat flare tubes opened on the sides of each pod, firing flares into the crowd of rebels that had surrounded each pod.

Just like that, the doors broke their seals, violently ejecting outwards and crushing three people, each.

Chantara, Sarsykian, and Maddock emerged, all dual-wielding MA5B Rifles, spraying an onslaught of 7.62 at the surrounding rebels.

Moving as fast as a car, Chantara bolt directly into the ranks of the rebels, crushing several in the process. Stopping in the middle, she dispensed the remainder of both 60 round magazines into the crowd before dropping both rifles.

Looking left, in a single leap, she brought herself directly in front of a rebel almost ready. Bringing a fist forward, she plunged it in the man's chest, breaking ribs and bursting the man's chest cavity in a single hit, sending him flying ten feet and killing him.

Someone came right, and she responded with a backhand from her right, dislodging their jaw, and following with a quick left hook to the ribs, breaking them and sending the newly bred corpse off to the side.

Behind her, a series of quick gunshots spread all over her shields. Reaching down, she lifted a M6 Machine Pistol off the magnetic holster from her thigh, looked back, and let off a quick two-round burst to the head of the assailant.

Pulling knife from sheathe, she darted forward, slicing through the right side of the neck of a new victim, turned right, and fired four separate bursts into four targets.

Behind her, a target aimed with his MA5.

Acting fast, she closed in, taking her leg, she kicked, shoving the whole rifle into the man's shoulder, breaking it and the gun. Following up, planting both feet in the ground, she shoulder charged the man, flinging him several dozen feet away.

Behind her, again, two men opened up with sub-guns, peppering her shields with small arms fire.

Leaping in the air, having her top facing down, she sprayed the remainder of her magazine onto the assailants, killing them both. On landing, she swapped magazines, observing her allies plowing through the competition.

Maddock had now outfitted himself with his shotgun, and Sarsykian two Magnum handguns, carving through the thinning herd of rebels.

Turning around, she came face to face with a sleuth, a criminal of highest proportions.

Avoin was there, once an S-IV, but betrayed the UNSC in favor of a more carefree life, something he didn't need to rely on.

In his hand, he held an M45 Shotgun, and fired it, breaching Chantara's chest shield and peppering her chest piece with 8 Gauge buckshot, tipping her on her back.

As she fell, she fired her M6 Machine pistol, hitting the shotgun and sending it off to the side. Rolling off her back, she ducked low and bolted forward at Avoin, knife prepped in the stabbing position with intent to dive it into him.

Using his boosters, Avoin jettisoned himself in the air, kicking down, and planted his foot on the back of Chantara's head, planting her into the ground behind him.

Dropping the thrusters, he turned around, pulling out an M6G Magnum, firing on her back plate before her shields could regenerate.

Rolling onto her back again, she faced up at Avoin, unleashing the full magazine of her Machine Pistol upon Avoin's body, ripping apart the handgun.

Both out of ammunition, Chantara stood and charged at Avoin, who did the exact same to her. Swinging at her head, Chantara ducked low, to be met with a quick knee from a propulsion-powered knee from Avoin, setting her up some.

She, however, reached down and grabbed his leg shortly after with her left arm. Raising her right arm, she drove it at Avoin's head, hitting it. Avoin raised his other leg and activated his boosters built within his custom armor, kicking Chantara's faceplate with severe force, flinging her back and kicking her helmet completely off.

Avoin landed feet-first, pulling out a second M6G.

Just as fast, Sarsykian opened fire on Avoin with his dual magnums from afar, interrupting his aim.

Quickly, Avoin returned fire, but his shields dwindled faster than the Spartan-III's full ones. Jettisoning himself into cover, he lifted a .308 Confetti Maker off the ground from a dead one of his men.

Chantara stood, and grabbed her helmet, fastening it to her head once again.

She picked up her M6 Machine pistol, Maddock came with his shotgun, and Sarsykian with both his M6G's.

Avoin rolled to lay flat on his back, placing his legs hunched over his chest, and activated his thrusters, kicking a large piece of concrete into the three. Maddock jumped over it, but Sarsykian was caught off guard, thrown to the side, and Chantara was clipped, sending her off to the opposite side.

Jettisoning his jets, Avoin rocketed towards the off-guard Maddock, planting his feet on Maddock's chest on contact, carrying with him as Avoin began unloading his .308 into Maddock's chest piece.

Dropping his shotgun, Maddock grabbed Avoin both by the neck and his right arm, yanking them both down and sending the two flying apart, Maddock into the dirt and Avoin into a nearby wall.

Slowly getting to his feet, Sarsykian quickly grabbed an MA5B off his back and rushed over, Chantara her M6 Machine pistol.

Maddock grabbed his M7 SMG off his thigh and aimed it at the near-motionless body of Avoin. The other two weren't close yet, and Maddock was now within arm's distance of Avoin.

Suddenly, Avoin's left arm swooped up, gripping Maddock's wrist, who responded by yanking his arm back, pulling Avoin, and with that, delivering a wide left hook to the rising Avoin's head, breaking his shields and flinging his helmet off to the side in a violent manner.

Dropping the SMG, Maddock closed in with a powerful knee, punching deep into Avoin's ribcage, and finishing it off with a Spartan tradition kick from his opposite leg, planting Avoin into a wall 10 feet away, knocking him out entirely.

Chantara and Sarsykian gathered round, weapons pointed. Maddock simply picked his M7 off the ground again, aiming it at Avoin.

"Target Secured." Maddock stated. Sarsykian chuckled. "Target beat the fuck out of, more like."

"Can the side chatter, Sars, we still have work to do."

"Aye aye, one sixteen."

Maddock moved in with the cuffs, latching titanium alloy electrocuffs on Avoin's wrists and ankles, setting up a ripcord to drag him with.

The three looked up into the sky, and several black objects began descending. Chantara chuckled, stating; "Now we move like we were never even here. Spartans, fall out, get back to the ship and let the Helljumpers do what they do best."

Sarsykian laughed, while Maddock kept a stern stare to the sky.

"Give 'em hell, boys."


	2. Cryptonym CORRUPTER, Ch2

CORRUPTER_ 's presence over the battlenet suddenly sent all systems haywire. Immediate response teams and WMD's began drafting approval for deployment on the large colony world of Sedra. The hidden outpost deep within Sedra's foliage, that had held an Insurrection base, was suddenly and vigorously assaulted by the UNSC with approval from the local Sedran Governing Body, citing they could deal with them, but the UNSC could do it better.

Shortly before the broadcasting of CORRUPTER_ through the UNSC Battle Net, Spartans Chantara 116, Sarsykian G-273, and Maddock G-193 were shock-deployed in a rapid assault against the complex.

The operation, Codenamed STORMHAUS, was enacted at 0105, and Avoin, their target, was captured at 0109, moving to be hastily extracted for interrogation. Here, no true understanding of what happened was known, other than to the three Spartans who had inserted, and the one who'd been infected.

* * *

Front and center, leading the way, S-116 dual-wielded her set of M6 Machine pistols. In the center, G-193 was dragging along Avoin with the ripcord and cuffs, with G-273 bringing up the rear, sweeping the back end with a fully-loaded MA5B assault rifle.

S-116 front, she led them under a small walkway that led into an outdoor galley of sorts; tables, sinks, distribution equipment for meals, and a canopy with thermal camouflage hanging over to protect them from casual onlookers in space.

Down here, S-116 noticed that it was more obvious. Moving quickly between the tables, they left the galley area and proceeded into a building within the base. G-273, at the rear, turned around for a brief second to observe Avoin and G-193, noticing Avoin was awake, after the short distance he was dragged, blood teeming around his mouth.

Looking forward again, G-273 spoke; "Target's awake." Maddock grunted into the comm channel, with S-116 responding; "Aye aye, keep moving." Avoin moved to sit up, yanking at his cord to get the attention of G-193, who promptly stopped and turned around, M7 pointed at the helmetless criminal.

Avoin stared G-193 in the eye, S-116 staying front and halted, G-273 watching the rear. G-193 spoke. "What?" Avoin responded briskly, "Get me out of here faster."

Somewhat perplexed, G-273 turned around and nodded at S-116, who simply proceeded her course through the building. S-116 spoke to Avoin; "And why do we want to do that?" Turning right around a corner, three Insurrectionists were waiting, not for them, but around a door. They were heavily armed, outfitted with backpack-fed .308 "Confetti Maker" machine guns.

Quickly, they noticed, turned, and opened fire on the advancing three. S-116 raised her machine pistols, spraying as she ran to the opposite side of the T-joint hallway, taking cover once arriving.

G-273 grabbed Avoin by the collar of his power armor and lifted him up, pressing him against the wall. G-193 moved around him, and with his MA5B, took short bursts at the heavy insurrectionists around the corner.

Avoin spoke through clenched teeth. "The experiments will get out if you send your men down there! You need to destroy this station, now!" G-273 shook his head, placing the barrel of his M7 to the forehead of Avoin. "And what would that be? Is it through those doors?" Avoin, his expression slowly changing to a complex of fear and anxiety, began vigorously nodding his head at G-273's question.

G-273 turned to his two allies, saying; "Breach that door they're guarding! See what's down there!" Turning back to Avoin, who's face immediately turned to anger, began struggling in his shackles, kicking G-273 in the chest while repeatedly screaming; "No! They'll get out! They'll kill everyone! They-"

G-273 stepped back, reared back the fist he once had on Avoin's collar, and rammed it into Avoin's stomach, causing the Insurrection leader to topple over in a gagging and coughing fit. "Shut the fuck up!" G-273 shouted, grabbing Avoin's head and lifting him off the ground by it. Avoin simply sat there, staring up at the Spartan-III with helpless fear.

"The shooting stopped…" Avoin whispered before coughing a small batch of blood onto the ground. G-273 immediately looked to his left, to see a vacant space; his squad mates completely void of the space. Looking back, G-273 grabbed the cord that bound Avoin and pulled it over his shoulder. Holding out his M7, he turned the corner.

The three Insurrectionists were dead, and the doors were open, locked open by the two other Spartans. Odd. He didn't even hear a confirmation between the two, or to him, for that matter.

Walking out, Avoin began struggling for a short moment before groaning in distress. G-273 moved, SMG drawn, and approached the door, stepping over the corpses of the dispatched insurrectionists.

G-273 stepped foot in front of the entrance, aiming his M7 down the corridor which his team mates disappeared into. Down the corridor was a stairwell that led down into an elevator room, which was stuck open, elevator car missing, and the lights within the elevator shaft rapidly blinking emergency red.

G-273 was confused of this, and began looking around him, the flashlights on his helmet immediately switching on to view the surroundings in an easier fashion. Moving slow, G-273 looked back down the corridor and began stepping towards the elevator shaft, M7 drawn. Each step closer, he could begin to hear various screams, cacophonous noises, and howls from down the shaft. No gunfire, just mysterious organic noises that set off G-273's.

Once to the shaft, G-273 leaned slightly over, peering into the depths of the dimly-lit elevator shaft. Down there, his radar was picking up numerous contacts of Omega threat level. G-273, confused, said to himself; "What is down there?"

Avoin spoke. "The… The experiments are down there…" G-273 turned around, glaring at the man on the ground. "What the fuck are they?! What are you doing with an Omega level hostile in this base?!" Avoin opened his mouth to speak, but a loud, booming roar echoed through the shaft, followed by the noise of rapid ascension up the shaft, with claws and nails, fingers and all sorts of appendages dragging themselves up the shaft.

G-273 looked to the shaft, raising his M7. Avoin spoke; "We.. Have to leave.." G-273 pulled the cord, hoisted Avoin over his left shoulder, turned, and bolted back up the stairway as whatever hell was ascending to the elevator doors. Once out of the corridor, G-273 turned right, bolting at a speed of 30 MPH down the corridor, weaving through different passageways until coming to an open storage room, where he stopped, tossing Avoin on the floor.

Aiming his M7, he looked down at Avoin. "What the hell was that?" Avoin coughed, his hands up in surrender. "It.. The experiments…" G-273 narrowed his eyes from behind the helmet he wore, shaking his head. "Omega class? You're experimenting with the flood, you bastard." Avoin chuckled, setting his back flat on the floor, staring into the ceiling. "Yes.. Yes i was…"

Behind G-273, a cacophonous scream reverberated through the halls of the complex. G-273 unclipped the damaged Oceanic-Class helmet from his belt, forcefully putting it over Avoin's head. Taking a device off his belt, he pressed it, undoing the cuffs and automatically snapping to his waist.

Pulling a second M7 off his left thigh, he tossed the weapon into Avoin's stomach. "Stand up." G-273 ordered. "You're fighting these creatures with me until we get outside." Pulling four extra magazines off his kit, he dropped them onto the recovering Avoin, who eventually stood up, facing the direction of the various noises.

G-273 followed suit, shouldering the M7 and aiming it down the corridor.


	3. Protocol Upsilon, Ch3

Atmospheric Level  
Brigadier Hammerfist

Spartan-IV Siegmund Schwarzenbach, or just Schwarz for ease of communication, noticed the increasing heat signatures from essentially nowhere. "Captain," The Grade-2 Sergeant called out, peering around him. Captain Fordwell, the commanding officer assigned to Hammerfist walked over, looking at the TACMAP.

"Yes, Sergeant?"  
Schwarz nodded to the display set in front of him. "Several unidentified heat signatures have just.. Appeared from nowhere, sir. Sweeping across the whole base. They're not ours, and we don't know if they're enemy either, sir." Captain Fordwall ran his hand over his moustache, a finely kept handlebar, and sighed. "Scan what kind of lifeforms, Sarge, we need to know what the hell that is." Schwarz nodded, doing so.

Seconds later, Captain Fordwell reeled back in surprise. "The flood?! I'm contacting Battle Net, code Upsilon, I say again, Upsilon!" Sgt. Schwarz nodded, punching in the required code to bring up the BattleNet communication network, leaving the room once brought up.

Almost immediately after, lights flared red within the command center, stopping the transmission before it was sent out. Schwarz immediately re-entered the room. "Sir! We have a code Corrupter, I say again, code Corrupter!" Captain Fordwell punched into his hand, exclaiming; "Fuck!"

The message immediately spread through the Brigadier like wildfire, and immediate WMD's began being prepared for use on the small Insurrection complex.

* * *

G-273 raised his right foot, kicking the infection form through the chest of a combat form, blowing the chest cavity into a mess of green and red fluids and muck. Turning around, he opened fire on a second combat form, ripping apart its body before it could get too close.

Avoin was firing short bursts into the shoulders, followed by shots to the chest of the combat forms that were rushing him and G-273. Popping empty, G-273 turned around, running his left fist through the chest of an elite combat form, something unexpected for sure, blowing it to pieces. Popping another magazine into his M7, he began stepping backwards, spraying the knees and shins of every combat form that howled and screamed, clamoring for a chance to taste Spartan flesh.

He backed up to Avoin, who had just swapped out another magazine.

Suddenly, from under the legs of the charging forms, several bag-like forms scrambled towards them. G-273 shouted; "Infection forms! Fall back!" Pulling a grenade off his kit, he primed it and chucked it into the horde. Turning back, Avoin and Maddock bolted out of the room, an explosion ripping apart the creatures clamoring behind them.

G-273 charged through a blocked door, bursting out to an open courtyard, vacant. G-273 and Avoin moved to the center, and stopped midway as flood infection and combat forms began pouring from the vents, all four entrances, and panels in the floor and ceiling. Avoin and G-273, Maddock, clasped back to back, aiming their M7 Sub-guns to the fray and opening fire.

Several fell, and finally, their M7's ran out. Maddock and Avoin checked their sides, and with no ammo to be found, raised their fists. Maddock reached to grab his combat knife, holding it in the reverse grip. Avoin yelled at them as they descended on the two Spartans; "Come on! Let's go!" Maddock exhaled, leaping off his left leg, using his sheer body mass to plow through two combat forms, popping several skittering infection forms. Careening right, his fist sent one form flying through others. Taking his knife, he turned, slicing through the combat form's right arm, lopping off the flood's claw. Redirecting, he plunged it deep into the infection form, ripping it across and stabbing it into a second form directly behind him.

Avoin was throwing fist, foot, and head into the fight, swinging wildly with his thruster-enhanced suit of armor. His elbow sent one flying into another, while he rapidly punched, kicked, and headbutted his way through more, stepping on and popping several bulbous infection forms.

Just as they were being overwhelmed, Maddock finally being restricted by dozens of combat forms, Avoin being pinned by several, too. A rapport of gunshots ripped across the room, the sounds of MA5B rifles, M7 Submachine guns, and the familiar sound of the M247H Machine gun. Swinging around, Maddock punched and kicked the various creatures off of him. Avoin did the same, both of them getting to their feet in seconds, falling back to the team who saved them;

Four ODST's, commandeered by Chantara-116 and Sarsykian G-193. Chantara held the M247H, Sarsykian dual-wielding M7's, and the ODST's holding the high-cap MA5B rifles, and one holding an M739 SAW. Once behind the six, one ODST fell out, placing his MA5B on his back, he pulled out two M6G handguns and handed them to Avoin and Maddock.

Taking them, Maddock asked; "Where to?" Chantara nodded to an ODST, who responded; "Follow me!" The ODST had red highlights over a black set of standard ODST body armor, holding an MA5B.

The ODST left out the entrance the six had emerged from, on point, with Maddock and Avoin next to them. Shortly behind, Sarsykian and Chantara were with the three other ODST's. Moving through, the back became quiet with the lack of enemies to shoot. Chantara announced over comms; "Enemies have stopped pursuing… Continue on." "Yes, Ma'am." The lead ODST responded, rounding right around a corner.

Immediately, a brute combat form leaped out of hiding, wielding a large metallic object, like a gravity hammer, swinging at the ODST's waist, cracking it, and with a disturbing squelch, smashed the man up to the wall, popping his lower abdomen like a balloon. The ODST was split in half, one end falling to the floor while the second half careened behind the combat form. Avoin and Maddock raised their handguns, dumping rounds into the infection form's host area, dropping it in four shots.

The ODST with the SAW rounded the corner, pulling it to his shoulder, cursing to himself. Moving forward, the ODST was suddenly smothered by a Carrier form flinging itself from behind cover. Maddock began firing wildly at the creature before it popped, flinging infection forms in every which direction. Behind it, several combat forms began rushing the hallway they were in, carrier forms supporting it close behind.

Maddock lurched forward, shooting seven rounds into a combat form, trampling the infection forms to get to the SAW. Behind them, gunfire began pronouncing itself as the group became surrounded in this small corridor. Leaning down while he exhausted the last of his Magnum ammunition, he picked up the SAW, hipped it, and began dumping the 128 round belt that was attached to it into the fray of flood screaming towards him.

Avoin began backing himself away, to the wall, not aiding in their fight. An ODST went to aid Maddock in fending off the rear forms, while Avoin still stood alone. Looking to his right, he noticed a vent grate popped off, and out of it came an infection form. Reaching down, he picked it up by its bulbous head, then chucked it at the ODST standing with Chantara and Sarsykian. The man, thrown off, reached back to grab it, but it was too late. Its tendrils sunk into the man's neck, burrowing into his spine, ripping a hole open in his back for it to squeeze into.

The ODST's body violently shook as he screamed in agony, bones snapping, flesh squelching and ripping, various joints of his body torn into fleshy mess. Sarsykian and Chantara didn't notice at first, and Chantara turned to go assist Maddock, as their herd had thinned. She exclaimed, then opened fire with her machine gun, ripping the still-transforming ODST apart, killing the infection form in the process.

Avoin lifted a metal pipe and began sprinting towards Sarsykian and Chantara. Last few strides, he activated his boosters, rocketing towards them. Raising the piece of metal piping, he cracked it across Chantara's facepiece, cracking the Wetwork sliver of a visor, sending her flipping onto her back. Skidding to a stop, he dumped the rest of his magazine into Sarsykian's back, who immediately rolled into cover.

Turning around, Avoin took off. Sarsykian shouted; "Spartan down! Pursuing target!" Around the corner, Maddock and the last ODST came to aid Chantara, as Sarsykian took off after Avoin.


	4. Dead End, Ch4

Avoin ran through several empty corridors, rooms, and different constructs within the complex, all completely vacant other than the varying corpses of humans, flood, and the bullet casings their battles left behind. Behind him, an ever persistent Spartan-III who was about to meet his end. Running through the armory, Avoin grabbed two items; a Cloak, and an M45 CAWS, loading it to the full and placing 36 extra shells on his person.

Taking off out the armory, he could hear Sarsykian closing in behind him. Avoin emerged into the open courtyard they first made contact in, the ODST drop pods still there, the bodies of his former allies, however, were all gone. Infected and carried off by the flood when they were released by the UNSC, accidentally.

Avoin crept between the three, activating his active camouflage, sitting in wait for the unsuspecting victim.

Sarsykian emerged into the courtyard, checking his corners, and observing the rest straight after, his MA5B pulled to his shoulder, trigger ready to be pulled at any moment's' notice. Slowly, he began walking towards the pods, scanning the railings above him, the open space, the catwalk around the structure.. Shaking his head, he groaned, looking back to the pods. How did it all go so wrong so fast? And what the fuck were insurrectionists doing with the Flood?

Questions for another time. Sarsykian walked by the pods slowly. Curious, he stopped, peering inside Maddock's pod, stepping halfway into it. Inside, an un-used SRS 99C Anti-Materiel rifle. Slinging his MA5B onto his back, he picked up the weapon. All he could hear was the sound of him picking it up, the click of it detaching from the magnetic coupler that kept it seated. The shard of glass, crushed behind him. Sarsykian suddenly perked up, swinging around to face a distorted mess of light. Without delay, he fired the SRS 99C into the wavy mass, but whatever it was, it fired back at the same time, launching Sarsykian into the pod, and whatever uncloaked; back into a wall near the edge of the courtyard.

* * *

A second CORRUPTER_ message rocked the Brigadier "Hammerfist", Schwarz staring at the alert in sheer shock. The Commanding Officer; Captain Fordwell, glared with some fear at the message, exchanging glances with a lesser officer; an Lt. Junior Grade, who came up to aid the Captain in calls for reinforcements.


	5. Infected, Ch5

It didn't take long for Sarsykian to identify who had ambushed him. It was Avoin, who began slowly getting to his feet, limping and holding his midsection, a large wound around his left side. The Anti-Materiel rifle chewed through the weaker section of his shields and armor, tearing a good chunk of meat off his side.

Sarsykian began feeling around him. His shields had cracked, and he could feel blood seeping from his chest and midsection, holes in his skinsuit, and a large tear in his right rib cage that had displaced his armor on the right side. Sarsykian propped himself up, sitting in the drop pod seat, and taking to comms;

"G-193 reporting… Injured, but so is the HVT. We exchanged fire… Need evac, drop point Alpha-Uniform One Three Seven. Maddock… Report?"

Maddock spoke. "G-273 reporting. We got Chantara to medical, I'm reinserting with a SPARTAN HAZOP team, two minutes." Sarsykian chuckled. "Make that ASAP, Lieutenant."

Sarsykian groaned. "And hurry the hell up. This hurts."

Sarsykian brought his SRS-99C to his shoulder, aiming at Avoin, who looked straight at him. "Hey, asshole!" Sarsykian shouted. "What's it like out there?"

Avoin reached his good arm up, pulling his helmet off and dropping it to the ground. His face was of pure fear, shaped to the form of someone aghast. Blood dripped from his mouth, his eyes sunken and wide, mouth shivering and quivering. "Th…" He tried to speak, but was suddenly assaulted by a long tentacle wrapping around his chest, and two more from behind him, one on each leg, pulling him horizontally parallel to the ground.

A booming bellow echoed across the courtyard, and two more tentacles wrapped around Avoin's arms, who began screaming, struggling as he was slammed to the ground. Four forms, lengthy and lanky in nature with bulbous chests, glowing pores, and long legs came to view, forms Sarsykian had never identified before. They held him in place as a single infection form skittered up towards Avoin. Avoin struggled, but was no match to the raw strength of the unknown infection forms that had him restrained.

The form reached up, its appendages wrapping around two sets of intestines that had hung out from Avoin's side, pulling itself into the open wound caused by Sarsykian's rifle. The form wormed its way into Avoin's lower abdomen, squeezing in between various yardages of intestine, its tendrils beginning to rip through the interior flesh, causing Avoin to scream in repulsion, jerking his body violently to attempt to shake it out.

The creature ran its tendril deep through his stomach, then reverted back, wrapping around the center portion of Avoin's spine, tapping into his nervous system to immediately begin reforming and mutating his body. Violently, a loud crack echoed through the courtyard, the sound of Avoin's ribs breaking, his lungs and heart popping and forming to allow room for the infection form to squeeze into his chest.

Blood dripped by the pint out of Avoin's open wound, his screams of agony suddenly silenced as the forms' tendril ripped through his throat, back and to the upper vertebrae of his neck, infecting deep into the lower rear sections of his brain.

The unknown forms suddenly unwrapped themselves from Avoin's body. Erratically, Avoin's body flopped like fish out of water, his arms and back cracking in unnatural directions as the infection form began rapidly mutating his body to its preferences. Avoin's neck snapped left, and bulbous flesh bubbles began forming around the right side of his neck, sprouting the infection form's identifying tendrils. Around Avoin's armor, mutated, green-yellow flesh began growing through the body skin. Audibly, Avoin's bones began cracking, blood squirting and erupting from his right arm as it began shaping itself into a massive claw.

Shifting left and right, the arm reformed itself into a long, meaty claw, bone extending out from it in several different directions, sharpening and breaking itself to change appearance, until a solid, bloody bone blade three feet long remained, wrapped in the bloody, rapidly deteriorating flesh.

Exploding out the open abdomen wound came a series of bone fragments and intestine pieces, the wound quickly sealing itself from the familiar green-yellow flesh, and over the power armor of Avoin.

In a matter of seconds, Avoin's body was grotesquely transformed, the head mutated into its own helmet-like transformation from retrieving the helmet he wore and molding it into his fleshy growths. Avoin's left arm exploded out of the armor pieces once holding it in place, transforming into a multi-appendage serrated whip, dragging out on the ground, held together by elastic tendons, various pieces of cartilage and muscle.

Avoin's infected body stood erect, opening an incredibly wide mouth of serrated, bloody, and jagged teeth, and released a reverberating scream that sent the blood within the experienced Spartan-III observing cold. Pulling his rifle to his shoulder, he whispered into his microphone within his helmet; "Codename Corrupter, I say again… C-Corrupter." Shuddering, he placed his finger on the trigger. The shield systems on Avoin's now horridly infected body began recharging. It was online. A Spartan was now infected by the flood. It was up to him to take it out, now.

Avoin exhaled sharply, and aimed at Avoin's malformed head. Almost instantly, the creature snapped its attention to Sarsykian as it accessed Avoin's memory. The last thing he saw being Sarsykian. Firing, the .50 Caliber round ripped the whole right arm off Avoin's mangled body. Almost immediately, however, one of the strange, glowing forms flung its tentacle into the pod, wrapping around Sarsykian's midsection and flinging him from the pod.

Getting to his feet, the newly formed Corrupter-Class flood lurched forward, using the whip to fling the rifle from Sarsykian's hands, rapidly growing a new arm to fit the needs of it, a long spike. Sarsykian ripped his knife from its sheathe, lurching forward in a sudden assault, pulling his M6G off his waist, dumping the magazine at the Corrupter's chest.

Almost immediately, an unseen brute form leaped from an unseen angle, cracking Sarsykian in the side with a mock gravity hammer, flinging him to the wall. Sliding to the ground, Sarsykian pulled his MA5B off his back, firing wildly into the crowd of flood that began surrounding him.

One of the odd, bulbous glowing forms used its tentacle, wrapping around Sarsykians arms, and with a single yank, dislocated both of them, simultaneously pulling him into the center of the group. The assorted forms backed away from Sarsykian as he lay there, his arms disabled from the odd creature. Sarsykian looked about madly, breathing heavy as a large infection form stood over him, its left arm grotesquely oversized in contrast to the rest of its body, a second, wide-brimmed jaw covered this arm, spurting small tendrils and massive, bony teeth.

Raising it up, it brought it down on Sarsykian's legs, breaking them both from the sheer force. Screaming in agony, Sarsykian rolled off to his side, utilizing his neural link to his armor to move himself. His bones and flesh cracked and popped, creating immense pain as Sarsykian attempted to stand up.

He never got to his feet.

The changed Avoin walked forward, bringing back the spike, and ran it in an upward diagonal direction directly under the metal armor protecting Sarsykian's rib cage, piercing into his chest cavity and ripping a wide hole, crushing lungs and his liver in the process. Flinging Sarsykian off to the side, his body flopped chest-up.

Sarsykian's mouth foamed with blood, and his new wound seethed with it. He couldn't breathe, couldn't walk, and was on the brink of death. However, before blood could fill his helmet entirely, a small, skittering infection form crawled over his helmet, inserting itself into the wound in his chest, tearing through the bone and flesh within, wrapping its prongs around his internal organs, infecting them rapidly.

Almost immediately, Sarsykian's nervous system was tapped, and he began the same excruciating process Avoin underwent, his body convulsing and seizing with every bone snapped, every muscle ripped, and every blood vessel torn. Blood, both red and green slowly pooled around the transforming Spartan-III. His mutations grew him different, however. His body did not form over his armor, and instead, the cavity sealed itself with pink, flabby flesh with the spores peering out of it ever so slightly. The form rapidly mutated his muscular structure, thickening his bones and skin.

In minutes, Sarsykian's transformed body stood erect, silent as it stared into the sky.

The only features to identify him as flood came from the patch of pink over the wound the form grew into, the rest was completely hidden from view to the naked eye.

It's neck snapped, glaring directly at the other Corrupter form. The two stared at each other for some time, all while the flood awaited command from their new proto-graveminds. Unlike typical ones, however, these were fully combat capable, and ready to kill and infect whatever came.


	6. Dusk, Ch6

Brigadier Hammerfist

Sgt. Schwarzenbach exchanged glances with the Junior Grade and the Captain, observing replayed footage from their satellite cameras, and local observation drones. Captain Fordwell clasped his hands together, shaking his head. "Do we have WMD's on board?" Schwarz nodded. "Yes, sir. But we still have numerous allies on the ground."

Captain Fordwell closed his eyes. The Lieutenant Junior Grade looked worryingly at his commanding officer. Schwarzenbach, concerned for his fellow Spartans, especially the HAZOP team that was just deployed, spoke up in slight defiance; "Sir, we have containment teams on the ground. We should only resort to them as last resort, sir."

"Sergeant." Schwarz stood straight. "Yes sir?"  
"Arm HAVOK warheads one through four. Place them in F-41 Strike Fighters, and deploy them on my say-so. Understood?" Schwarz scrunched his face under his helmet in scorn, in displeasure of the order, but nodded.

"Sir, yes sir."

* * *

Floor 17

Underground

Deep within the hidden laboratories of the facility, teething creatures began bonding their bodies together. Bones snapped and began stitching themselves together again with cartilage and tendons sewing around it to form strengthened appendages. Large, fleshy masses wrapped around various electronic equipment and research gear. A proto-gravemind, had anyone seen one, was forming. The dead and living mass of different lifeforms that had either been captured here and studied on, or stationed, or had been assigned a task force to assault the location had been gathered in the lab which The Insurrection had been studying the flood.

Attempts had been made to control them, but only caused them to become more self reliant, giving them more ease of thought. They developed under captivity, hiding it from their captors until the time was right. A subject was to be inserted into the chamber, a captured Sangheili they had captured, to observe the infection process.

From the mass of flesh, hordes of infection forms, several combat forms from previous subjects, and a few pure forms rushed the entrance, infecting the new food, and ravaging the surrounding lab. It was at this time that the base began going into lockdown, and the Insurrectionists began evacuating the area. This prompted the UNSC to attack as they were mustering, locking down, and preparing to detonate the on-site Shiva-class Nuke. However, the systems were overridden by the now intelligent flood, who'd infected multiple researchers and personnel at that point.

But now, they had two incredibly interesting subjects; A Spartan-III, and a defected Spartan-IV. Seething with knowledge of combat, strategy, secret intelligence, battle plans, and everything their suit had access to. It was now all theirs, their little hive now held more knowledge than most, other than the ones dating to forerunner times.

The two of them stood in front of the fleshy mass that was the proto-gravemind. It had spread from its containment center all the way through that lab, and several passageways and labs surrounding it.

It was complete. And now; infect everything.

* * *

Spartan Team Catch was on-site with Spartan G-193, Maddock. Fireteam Catch consisted of Spartan IV's; Gieroton/Black, Walker/Orange, Green/Green, Iyoto/Blue, and Davis/Grey. Each with their specialties and own kit, along with the strike team came five HAZOP-fitted ODST's with biohazard countermeasure gear. With them, another Spartan-II while the previous one went to medbay; Vas-110, a Spartan whose armor was an experimental hybrid between Mjollnir GEN 2 and Promethean technology. Equipped, he held two Suppressors and two Bolt Shots, prepared to wipe out the flood.

Maddock G-193, Catch, HAZOP 1-5, Vas-110 and a squad of ten HAZOP marines were deployed, aiming to recover as much intel as possible and deal with the CORRUPTER class threats themselves.


	7. Breaching the Hornet's Nest, Ch7

Spartan Black and Spartan Orange took point, Maddock shortly behind, followed by S-110 Vas, Blue, The ODST's, the Marines, Green and Gray. Black and Orange both held M90 CAWS Shotguns, and Maddock an MA5B, Vas his Suppressors, the ODST's, Blue, and the Marines a variety of MA5 variants, M7 Subguns, and shotguns, two with SAW's, and bringing up the rear, Green and Grey, respectively, held an MA5D W/ Grenade Launcher, and an M395 DMR.

The group entered the first entrance to the base, littered with body parts, firearms, and discarded gear in the rush of the combined attacks from the UNSC, and the containment-breaching flood. Black and Orange stepped over a corpse, its chest breached open and all internal organs either destroyed or chewed into unrecognizable mush. The uniform identified itself as Insurrectionist. Probably one of Avoin's specialty anti-Spartans'.

Further into the passageway, several doors engaged in lockdown limited their options, and they funneled themselves down this hall, deeper into the facility. Minuted later, they emerged into a mess. Maddock recognized it as the location himself and Avoin took the fight to the Flood, only to be saved by Chantara and her small strike team.

The lot of them began spreading around the mess. The blood was covered in red, green, blue, and violet blood from the various races that had been infected from the flood, and brought here to be tested on by the Insurrectionists, Avoin's playtoys, per say.

Black held his hand up. "Hold. Movement, 25 meters. 4 targets," Orange positioned himself, shotgun forward and aiming down the blackened hallway. One of the ODST's stepped forward, in his hands an M7s. Black motioned his left hand forward. "Night Vision."

Through their neural interfaces, they activated the night vision within their helmets, boosted by the Spartan's already superb night vision. Four combat forms were hunched over a corpse, a large one by the looks of it; an unidentifiable mush of flesh and bone. Likely Jiralhanae or Sangheili. The ODST fired off a series of small bursts at the infection forms within the bodies of the combat forms, taking them all out quickly.

Orange spoke; "Good work" Black motioned forward again, and the small unit followed suit, entering the passageway the flood they just killed were located. Stepping over the series of bodies that followed; UNSC, Insurrectionist, Jackal, Elite, Brute, Grunt, there were several. Dead corpses from their infection forms being killed by ODST's, who later found themselves infected from the same foe.

After the continuous hallway of corpses passed, they came to a T, and in front of them was another hallway that split into two seperate corridors. To their right, an elevator shaft that only descended. Maddock stated; "This is it. Prepare climbing gear." The team followed Maddock in.

"Green, Orange, HAZOP 2 and 4, post to the rear. Everyone else, get ready to drop." ODST HAZOP 2 and 4 moved to the entrance with Spartans Greens and Orange, securing their backside as they attached rappelling cables to the interior of the elevator shaft.

Vas-110 stepped forward as the first cable was being assembled, tapping the Marines' shoulder. "I'll go first," Vas stated in a quick fashion. The marine moved aside, motioning the cable towards Vas. "All yours, Spartan."

Maddock lined up behind Vas, slapping his MA5B on his back. Vas set the two suppressors he carried onto his back, gripping the cable tightly. "Thanks." Vas stepped out into the elevator shaft, allowing the cable to slide through his hands. Slowly, he slid down, observing the other elevator doors as he descended to the last level, level 17.

Once down there, Vas pulled out his two Suppressors, speaking; "Decks fifteen and nine have their elevator doors open. There's also no sign of the actual elevator in the shaft. Meaning the flood must have taken it apart."

Maddock nodded with grunt. One of the marines groaned; "Oh, great, so they know how to take apart machinery now? Fuck." Black turned his head to the marine; "Can it. Don't freak out when we haven't even gotten our hands dirty."

The marine nodded.

Maddock descended a short moment later, and when down, he pulled his MA5B off his back and exited the shaft into an unlit, dirty white corridor. "Securing perimeter. Two ODST's, five marines, half of Catch, and reverse the method for the rest of them. Understood? Do it quietly."

The marines and ODST's all ushered into their microphones; "Sir, yes sir."

Minutes passed, and the tedious descent into the unknown territory of the lab had been well underway. Forces on the bottom deck grew, and the top lessened and lessened. Halfway through, as he Marine named Killgrove suddenly cursed into his microphone, sliding down quick to the bottom floor and pulling his MA5K off his back, aiming it up the shaft.

HAZOP 3 turned around, looking up into the shaft. "What's up?" Killgrove scanned the shaft, night vision on, breathing hard and fast; "Saw a combat form at deck nine. Was just standing in the door."

Up the shaft, Black sighed, turning to HazMarine 2. "See what's on Deck Nine. Understood?" He nodded; "Sir, yes sir!" Quickly, the marine gripped the cable, swinging into the shaft, and began the descent to the ninth deck. Once arrived, he swung into the corridor, pulling out his M90S on landing, scanning the area around him. "No targets. Sure you saw something?" The marine scoffed; "Tch, fuck yes I did."

HazMarine 2 didn't respond. "Hey, Jason, you there?" Killgrove asked. Another ten seconds passed. "Fuckin' A, they got him." Killgrove muttered. Maddock asked; "Blue, can you confirm?" She nodded, behind Maddock. "Unfortunately so. No vital signs. His armor isn't even online."

"God dammit," Black scoffed, turning behind him. "Orange, HAZOP 1, get down there. HAZOP 5, take his post." HAZOP 5 walked over to Orange, tapping him on the shoulder, who stood up and hustled to the elevator, nodding to HAZOP 1.

Orange placed his M90 CAWS on his back, stepping forward and grabbing the cable.

2 minutes later, they were both within the entrance to deck 9, Orange standing, and HAZOP 1 in the kneeling position. Orange motioned forward, and the two began walking forward down the corridor, no real hallways, doors, or anything in immediate sight. Everything was locked down. No emergency lights on, just darkness. Nothing.

They came to where a hallway went left, and the normal passageway continued straight. HAZOP 1 veered left, and Orange kept on going straight. Almost immediately, he heard a hushed, yet audible squelch echo down the hall.

On heel, Orange spun around, went to the hall, and turned right, aiming his M90 CAWS straight down the hall. He saw HAZOP 1 being dragged into a dark room, a bloodtrail laced with intestines following it. Once his corpse was in the door, it shut automatically. "Man down. Flood presence. Can't find anything on my sensors, yet."

Orange began to withdraw down to the elevator shaft. On his left foot, as soon as he turned, the lights of the ninth deck suddenly erupted with showering white light, followed directly by every single locked down door tearing open to reveal dozens of combat and infection forms piled to the brim, spilling out in fives and tens.

Immediately, Orange turned and bolted towards the elevator. "Flood are mounting an ambush up here! Contact, contact!"

Once near the door, he turned around, raising his shotgun to his shoulder as they rapidly increased his distance towards him. As sudden as the attack, through him, he heard a comm call. "You've got backup behind you, open fire!"

Orange pulled the trigger, ripping a whole right side off of one form. At nearly the same time, two SAW's opened fire behind him, 7.62MM rounds screaming down the hallway at rapid pace, piercing and ripping through the various creatures that were chasing Orange.

Orange began slam-firing his 8 Gauge shotgun, squeezing out twelve rounds incredibly fast, leaving clumps and mounds of flesh in its wake. Once out, Orange dropped it to the floor and pulled an MA5B off his back, switching off the safety and beginning to dump rounds into the oncoming horde.

Hundreds of spent shell casings later, the lights suddenly shut off, and the lockdown initiated again. In the corridor, hundreds of flood creatures lie dead and dismembered. The two marines behind Orange cheered; "Fuck yeah! Teach those parasite sons of bitches what it's like to die!" "Fuckin got that right, Ox!"

Black's thickly laced accent abruptly interrupted the cheering, stating; "We have hundreds of contacts moving in on our location. Teams, double-time it down to the seventeenth deck, NOW!"

Orange placed the MA5B on his back, picking up his shotgun, and stepping off the ledge to the ground below, landing with an audible thump. The two marines quickly descended down to the bottom deck. Black began ushering the remaining marines, ODST's, and Spartans down the elevator shaft, and to deck 17.

As the last one, Black turned around to the doorway, only to see it obstructed by dozens of misshapen creatures of the Flood. Pulling a grenade from his belt, he primed it and chucked it at them while dropping down into the Shaft.

With a similarly audible thud, he hit the ground, braced by his suit, and pulled his M90 CAWS to his shoulder.

In front stood Orange and Vas, and they nodded, immediately moving forward, the unit following directly behind them. On their radars, hundreds of little red dots began congregating around their positions, readying for an ambush.


End file.
